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Abstract:

A pencil, in particular a cosmetic pencil, comprising a cartridge, a lead
held such that it can move axially relative to the cartridge, and a
shaper for shaping the working end of the lead. The pencil can adopt an
operating state in which twisting of the shaper relative to the lead
and/or the cartridge in a first angle of rotation section leads to axial
displacement of the cartridge relative to the lead in the direction away
from the shaper, and in a second angle of rotation section leads to axial
displacement of the lead in the direction towards the shaper.

Claims:

1-13. (canceled)

14. A pencil comprising: a cartridge (12), a lead (24) located at least
partially within the cartridge and axially movable relative thereto, a
rotatable shaper (34) for shaping the working end of the lead, wherein
the pencil can adopt an operating state wherein rotation of the shaper
relative to the lead and/or the cartridge in a first angle of rotation
section leads to axial displacement of the cartridge relative to the lead
in a direction away from the shaper, and in a second angle of rotation
section leads to axial displacement of the lead in a direction towards
the shaper.

15. The pencil according to claim 14, wherein the twisting of the shaper
(34) relative to the lead (24) and/or the cartridge (12) in the second
angle of rotation leads to axial displacement of the cartridge together
with the lead towards the shaper.

16. The pencil according to claim 14, wherein the shaper (34) is coupled
in at least one operating state to the cartridge (12) by a control curve
(38).

17. The pencil according to claim 14, further including an elastic device
(40) for pre-tensioning the cartridge (12) and/or the lead (24) in the
direction towards the shaper (34).

18. The pencil according to claim 14, wherein the shaper (34) is
accommodated in a protector (14).

19. The pencil according to claim 18, wherein the protector (14) can be
screwed onto a shaft (10) of the pencil.

20. The pencil according to claim 19, wherein a pitch-free thread turn
(20) on the shaft (10) adjoins a thread turn (18) on the shaft (10)
serving to screw on the protector (14).

21. The pencil according to claim 18, wherein the shaper (34) is a
sharpener.

22. The pencil according to claim 14, wherein the axial displacement of
the cartridge (12) relative to the angle of twisting in the first angle
of rotation section is greater than the axial displacement of the lead
(24) relative to the angle of rotation in the second angle of rotation
section.

23. The pencil according to claim 14, further including a coupling device
(32) which enables axial displacement of the cartridge (12) relative to
the lead (24) in the direction away from the shaper (34), but blocks
displacement in the direction towards the shaper.

24. The pencil according to claim 23, wherein the coupling device (32)
comprises a catch device coupling the cartridge (12) to a lead plunger
(26).

25. The pencil according to claim 14, wherein the pencil can adopt an
operating state wherein twisting of the shaper (34) relative to the lead
(24) and/or the cartridge (12) triggers an acoustic signal.

26. The pencil according to claim 14, further including a collecting
container (42) for waste resulting from the shaping located in a
protector (14).

Description:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a pencil, in particular a cosmetic pencil,
comprising a cartridge, a lead held such that it can move axially
relative to the cartridge, and a shaper for shaping the working end of
the lead.

[0002] Pencils of the type specified at the start are known, for example
from U.S. Pat. No. 2,907,301. With the known pencil, when the shaper is
attached a taut spring, which in the released state presses a lead
carrier with a lead against the shaper, is released. With the pencil
according to DE 196 16 613 C1 the lead is pressed by means of a spindle
drive against the shaper, a sliding coupling being provided in order to
limit the force with which the lead is pressed against the shaper.

[0003] The known pencils are not satisfactory, in particular with regard
to the result of the shaping by means of the shaper.

[0004] It is the object of the invention to further develop the pencil of
the type specified at the start such that it works satisfactorily, in
particular with regard to the result of the shaping.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] According to the invention the object set with a pencil of the type
specified at the start is achieved in that the pencil can adopt an
operating state in which twisting of the shaper relative to the lead
and/or the cartridge in a first angle of rotation section leads to axial
displacement of the cartridge relative to the lead in the direction away
from the shaper, and in a second angle of rotation section leads to axial
displacement of the lead in the direction towards the shaper.

[0006] The pencil according to the invention is satisfactory, in
particular with regard to the shaping result. This can first and foremost
be put down to the fact that within the framework of the solution
according to the invention, in particular in the second angle of rotation
section, an exactly defined lead feed rate can be specified precisely on
the working side so that the feed rate of the lead is harmonised with the
shaping by means of the shaper, by means of which excessive demands upon
the lead are avoided.

[0007] It is preferred according to the invention if twisting of the
shaper relative to the lead and/or the cartridge in the second angle of
rotation section leads to axial displacement of the cartridge together
with the lead towards the shaper.

[0008] In this way it is achieved that the lead does not also have to be
shifted within the cartridge during the actual shaping. In this way
demands upon the lead are further reduced.

[0009] It is further preferred according to the invention if the shaper is
coupled in at least one operating state to the cartridge by means of a
control curve.

[0010] With this type of control curve the cartridge feed rate in
particular can be precisely specified when shaping.

[0011] Preferably, an elastic device is provided for pre-tensioning the
cartridge and/or the lead in the direction towards the shaper.

[0012] In this way a solution which is particularly simple from a
mechanical point of view is found.

[0013] According to the invention, it is further preferred if the shaper
is accommodated in a protector.

[0014] This solution also serves in particular to simplify the overall
structure of the pencil.

[0015] According to the invention it is preferred if the protector can be
screwed on, in particular onto a shaft of the pencil.

[0016] A screw connection guarantees particularly reliable attachment of
the protector (and optionally of the shaper).

[0017] According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention a
pitch-free thread turn adjoining a thread turn serving to screw on the
protector is provided.

[0018] This pitch-free thread turn can be used to produce the
aforementioned operating state in which twisting of the shaper relative
to the lead and/or the cartridge leads in a first angle of rotation
section to axial displacement of the cartridge relative to the lead in
the direction away from the shaper, and in a second angle of rotation
section to axial displacement of the lead in the direction towards the
shaper.

[0019] If is further preferred according to the invention if the shaper is
a sharpener.

[0020] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention
the axial displacement of the cartridge relative to the angle of twisting
in the first angle of rotation section is greater than the axial
displacement of the lead relative to the angle of rotation in the second
angle of rotation section.

[0021] In this way it is achieved that in the second angle of rotation
section assigned to the shaping of the working end of the lead the feed
rate of the lead resulting from the twisting of the shaper can be
particularly finely metered.

[0022] A particularly simple overall structure is produced according to
the invention by means of a coupling device which enables axial
displacement of the cartridge relative to the lead in the direction away
from the shaper, but blocks in the counter-direction.

[0023] It is further preferred according to the invention if the coupling
device is a catch device coupling the cartridge to a lead plunger.

[0024] In particular if the shaper is accommodated within the protector,
under certain circumstances one can not see from the outside that
twisting of the protector, and so of the shaper, leads to shaping of the
lead.

[0025] Therefore, provision is made according to one particularly
preferred embodiment of the invention such that the pencil can adopt an
operating state in which twisting of the shaper relative to the lead
and/or the cartridge triggers an acoustic signal.

[0026] With this acoustic signal a user is made aware that the
aforementioned twisting of the protector leads to shaping of the working
end of the lead.

[0027] Finally, the invention preferably provides a collecting container
for waste resulting from the shaping, in particular in a protector.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In the following the invention is described more fully with further
details by means of a preferred exemplary embodiment with reference to
the attached drawings. These show as follows:

[0029] FIG. 1 a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a pencil
according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention,

[0030] FIG. 2 the same view as FIG. 1, but with the protector screwed on,

[0031] FIG. 3 the same view as FIG. 2, but with the protector twisted by
30°,

[0032] FIG. 4 the same view as FIG. 3, but with the protector twisted by a
further 150°,

[0033] FIG. 5 the same view as FIG. 1, but with a sharpened lead,

[0034] FIG. 6 an isometric partial view of the pencil according to FIGS. 1
to 5,

[0035]FIG. 7 a further isometric partial view of the pencil according to
FIGS. 1 to 5, but with a protector, and

[0036] FIG. 8 yet another isometric partial view of the pencil according
to FIGS. 1 to 5, once again with a protector, but in a different
operating state to FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The pencil illustrated in the drawing comprises a shaft 10, a
cartridge 12 and a protector 14. The shaft 10 has a thread 16 with a
pitched thread turn 18 and a pitch-free thread turn 20. The protector 14
has a corresponding thread element 22.

[0038] A lead 24 is introduced into the cartridge, preferably by pouring.
In order to move the lead 24 forwards within the cartridge 12 a plunger
26 is used which can act on the lead 24 by means of a ball 28. The
plunger 26 is toothed or in the form of a spindle (with an external
thread). It co-operates with two catch devices 30, 32.

[0039] The protector is provided with a shaper in the form of a sharpener
34. The sharpener 34 lies within the protector 14. Formed on the
protector 14 is a bar 36 which, in a way described in detail below,
interacts with a control curve 38 of the cartridge 12.

[0040] The function of the pencil shown in the drawings is as follows:

[0041] It is assumed that the lead 24 of the pencil has become blunt
through use, as shown in FIG. 1. In such a case, according to FIG. 2 the
protector 14 is placed over the shaft 10 and screwed on by twisting.
FIGS. 2 and 7 show a state in which the thread element 22 is located in
the pitch-free thread turn 20. The rotational position here is such so
that the bar 36 according to FIG. 7 lies in a "valley" of the control
curve 38. If the protector 14 is now twisted further relative to the
shaft 10, the bar 36 moves up a "hill" of the control curve 38 until the
operating state according to FIGS. 3 and 8 is reached. In this operating
state the bar 36 has displaced the cartridge 12 in the direction away
from the sharpener 34, i.e. to the left in FIGS. 1 to 5, because of its
upward movement along the control curve 38. This displacement takes place
against the elastic reset force of a spring 40. Since upon displacement
of the cartridge 12 to the left the catch device 32 does not block, but
the plunger 26 is blocked by the catch device 30 from being displaced to
the left, the cartridge 12 is displaced to the left, but not the lead 24
which is held in position by the plunger 26.

[0042] With further twisting of the protector 14 relative to the shaft 10
the bar 36 passes down again from the "hill" of the control curve 38. In
this way the spring 40 can be slackened by displacing the cartridge 12
back to the right, i.e. towards the sharpener 34. Since in this case the
catch device 32 blocks, but the catch device 30 does not block, the
plunger 26, and so the lead 24 together with the cartridge 12, moves to
the right, i.e. towards the sharpener 34. Since at the same time the
sharpener 34 is twisted together with the protector 14 relative to the
lead 24, the lead is sharpened, as shown schematically in FIG. 4. The
sharpening waste is collected here in the interior 42 of the protector
14.

[0043] If the protector 14 is unscrewed from the shaft 10 again after
sharpening the lead 24, the state according to FIG. 5 is achieved which
corresponds to that of FIG. 1, but with a sharpened lead 24.

[0044] As shown by the explanations above, with the exemplary embodiment
of the invention shown in the drawing, the sharpener 34 is coupled by the
protector 14 and the bar of the latter 36 to the control curve 38 of the
cartridge 12. If the sharpener 34 is twisted by turning the protector 14
relative to the lead 24 in order to sharpen the latter, the bar 36 slides
on the control curve 38. A connection is thus produced between the
sharpening by twisting the sharpener 34 and the axial displacement of the
cartridge 12 with the lead 24 located within the latter.

[0045] Although this is not shown in the drawing, a further device can be
provided which produces a clicking noise or similar when the lead 24 is
sharpened by twisting the protector 14 relative to the shaft 10 in order
to indicate that sharpening is taking place. In this way undesired
sharpening due to continuous twisting of the protector 14 relative to the
shaft 10 can be prevented. The aforementioned clicking noise can then
always be heard, and this makes one aware of the sharpening.

[0046] The features of the invention disclosed in the above description,
the claims and the drawings can be essential both individually and in any
combination in order to realise the invention in its different
embodiments.